The Fall Out
by greeneyedgirl105
Summary: Bolin's reaction to finding out about Korra's challenge to Amon


Tenzin's not surprised when Bolin shows up the next day. The boy is pale and he exudes an air of nausea. "I just heard about… everything. What was she _thinking_, challenging him to a duel? There are rumors flying around the city. That Amon took her bending, that Amon's dead, that—that _she's_ dead," Bolin trails off almost into a question.

"She's alive, and her bending is intact. He ambushed her with a group of chi blockers and told her that her time hadn't come yet," Tenzin explains. Though everyone had agreed to tell the press that Amon hadn't showed up, Tenzin feels that Bolin deserves to know. He was her first friend in the city, her teammate, and it was obvious to the older airbending that Bolin was growing fond of his ward.

"Thank spirits," Bolin breathes, leaning over and putting his hands on his knees. Tenzin once again notices that the boy seems sick. "Can I—can I see her?"

"I don't know," Tenzin says uncertainly. He would have said no to anyone else, even Korra's other teammate Mako, but it seems to him that Bolin is in more need of moral support than Korra. He looks terrified, even now that he knows Korra is safe. Of course, a terrified boy isn't exactly going to reassure Korra after her traumatic night.

Korra may not even want visitors. When Tarlok showed up, Tenzin ordered him to leave. The councilman tried to refuse, but Tenzin had blasted him out of the house. The stubborn fool had tried to reenter the house, and Korra had appeared, flying down the steps, her hair a mess and her blue eyes wide and bloodshot. She screamed Southern Water Tribe profanities that Tenzin only knew because of his Uncle Sokka.

The sight of the near rabid Avatar did get Tarlok to leave though. Once he was gone, Korra had marched back to her room and slammed the door. Her sobbing was loud enough to hear from down the hall, but she refused to let anyone in her room, at least until Jinora pleaded and cried with Korra from the other side of the door.

That had been close to dawn. Throughout the day, Korra had let each of the family members into her room to console her. Pema had brought her a warm breakfast and brushed her hair for her. Jinora read to Korra for about an hour until Ikki demanded that she be included, and the younger daughter had talked nonstop until Korra insisted she needed sleep.

"Please, Tenzin," Bolin said, his green eyes hollow.

"I—Jinora, go see if Korra is up to visitors. If she's sleeping, then don't bother her," Tenzin said slowly. Jinora nodded, knowing that Korra had been asleep since she and her sister had left. Her father obviously didn't want to let Bolin see Korra.

However, when Jinora tapped softly, ever so softly, on Korra's door, a perfectly alert voice asked from the other side, "Who is it?"

"Me," Jinora said softly.

"Oh. Come on in then, Jin," Korra said. The young Avatar was lying on her back on her bed, her hands folded over her stomach. Jin could see the trails of tears on her cheeks, and felt her heart clench sympathetically. "What's up?"

"Bolin's here," she said softly, watching Korra's reaction closely. The Avatar blinked, dumbfounded.

"Bolin?"

"Yeah. He wants to come see you, but Tenzin told me to see if you wanted to see him. If not, I can tell them that you're sleeping," Jin assured her. Korra sat up slowly, looking a hot mess. Jinora, who already felt Korra was a sister, found it strange to see her role model in such a distressed state.

"I… yes, I _do _want to see him. Can you send him up?" Korra asked. Jinora nodded and started to leave. "Wait. Can you stall him for just five minutes or so? Just to make myself look…" Jinora could tell she didn't want to say the words _like I haven't been crying_.

"Of course," Jinora agreed, secretly thinking that Korra might need more than five minutes. As soon as the younger girl was gone, Korra jumped up and skidded down the hall to the wash room. She immediately splashed cool water on her face, but it was of little use: her face remained splotchy and her eyes red.

She yanked a brush through her hair but didn't bother putting it up, hoping she could use it to hide some of her emotional state. She tried to get her face to resume its usual look. By the time she heard Bolin stomping up the stairs with his usual heavy Earthbender tread, her eyes were far less red, but her skin remained patchy.

She quickly slipped into her room, and struggled to figure out how she should greet him. Should she sit on her bed? Lean against the wall? She groaned, not feeling like herself at all. Normally she was so confident and self-assured. Since when did she care how she stood? She sat on her bed instead.

"Korra?" Bolin knocked on the open door, not sticking his head into the room until Korra murmured an assenting sound. "Can I come in?"

"'Course," Korra said, standing. Bolin took one uneasy step into the room, looking around, then his eyes landed on Korra. His face filled with pain and he immediately took two large strides into her room, wrapped his arms around her, and held her tight.

She clutched him back, realizing this was the best thing he could have done for her. He was warm and solid and helped her regain her grasp on reality. The half-nightmares, half-daydreams of Amon vanished, and her sense of security was restored.

They clung to each other, and it took a while for Korra to realize that Bolin was crying silently. She jerked back, surprised. Wasn't _she_ the one who was supposed to be crying? And why wasn't he trying to hide his tears? Wasn't he ashamed of this weakness?

"Spirits, Korra. That was a stupid thing you did, challenging Amon to a duel. Don't you think about the people who love you at all?" Bolin demanded, rubbing his tears against his shirt.

"Of course I do!" Korra said angrily, pushing him away. "That's why I did it! I couldn't stand for Amon to hurt you—any of you! What if he took your bending away? Or Mako's, or Tenzin's, or the kids'? What then? He needs to be stopped."

"I'd rather have my bending taken away than yours!"

"Just because I'm the Avatar doesn't mean my bending is more important than yours," Korra huffed angrily.

"It's not because you're the Avatar, Korra! I love you! We all do! What would happen to the world if they lost their Avatar? Well, they'd have to deal with it until the next one was born. But what would happen to Tenzin and his family, and to Mako and me, if we lost _you_? We don't get another Korra," he snapped. He was so furious he couldn't look at Korra.

Korra, on the other hand, was staring at Bolin, her mouth open, gaping. She could feel her eyes welling with tears, and for once didn't try to stop him. If he was brave enough to cry, then she would be too. "I… thank you," Korra said, overwhelmed. Most of her life she'd lived as the Avatar. All of her masters but Katara saw her as this powerful figure, the White Lotus guards saw her as the bridge between the physical and the spiritual world, and all of Republic City saw her as Avatar Aang come again to save his city.

It was a rare thing to have someone see her as a person first, then the Avatar. It was sporadic: Katara, her parents (though not her siblings who had been born after she'd been sent off to the compound), and more recently Tenzin and Bolin. Even Mako seemed to view her as the great Avatar first, then his Fire Ferret Teammate, then Korra (if at all).

"Bolin?"

"Yes, Korra?"

"I love you too."


End file.
